Story:Far and Away
Far and Away details the wrymhood of a young Karnasaur named Sesh Konr whose parents, KMF Navy personnel, are assigned to Staging Ground Station, the fisrt permenant KMF Naval presence in EIT space, intended to host the 181st Expeditionary Fleet which was assigned to assist EIT forces in the Kklixn War. Arrival "Are we there yet?" "Almost, Sesh. Patience." Sesh didn't care for patience; He was spaceborn to two navy vets. His dad was a fighter pilot and his mom was a nurse. His girlfriends always swooned at the romantic story how she nursed his father back to health and he decided to court her afterwards. He thought it was neat, but didn't pay much mind aside from that. Now he was getting shipped out to some farflung corner of the Galaxy, far from his last home, to help the Eteno out with some kind of rogue state. Freaking Eteno... if their military was as tough as they made it look, they wouldn't need KMF help. Whatever... either way, he was heading for new grounds. Some new station. "Sesh. We're here, son." Looking out the ship's window, leaving FTL, he saw the new station. Clean, shiny, fresh out of construction. He swore he could see some lights just coming on still. He could see the station's name painted onto the hull: 'Staging Ground Station' Wow. Was that seriously the best they could come up with? "This is Rear Admiral Jasa van Oirschotten, EIT Overseer of the station, broadcasting to all KMF vessels of the 181st Expeditionary Fleet. On behalf of the Fatherland, we welcome you. You will all be transmitted assigned docking bays. Your ships will land in these docking bays at all times save emergencies. First assignments will arrive in 24 hours. Please be ready to recieve your orders by that time. You will be expected to locate your dormitories and orient yourselves with nearby terminals. We look forward to this joint operation. Oirschotten out." Moments later, Sesh heard the beeping of the computer indicating they recieved their assignments. The ship heeled a bit as his father turned it towards the docking bay. "Bay D216. There." His father muttered to himself. They entered the hanger bay and touched down. The small transport they were flying in shutdown and the canopy opened, allowing the family to climb out. Sesh was the oldest, his clutch didn't make it. His parents had another clutch just a few decades ago, with four survivors. Three girls and a boy. Sree, Rene, Lesi, and Renr. They were still just hatchlings, but they were almost wrymlings. Renr absolutely adored his elder brother, and Sesh liked to spend time with his younger brother as well. As for the girls, though, he tried to let them stay among themselves. They were such brats to him... Deus help them find mates. Helping the hatchlings out of the transport, Sesh looked around. The hangar certainly looked Sauren, but it seemed to have some Eteno architecture mixed in. There were some caches of weapons and ammo around the medium bay, and the bay entrance had a door that started sealing when they entered. Sauren stations left entrances open to allow some morale-boosting sights, but it seemed like the EIT didn't share that sentiment. "Sesh, our dorm is this way." His mother told him, as she held Sree and Lesi in her arms, with Rene next to her. Renr was walking over to Sesh. "Wow... this place is different from the others. Why is that, Sesh?" Renr asked. "Karnasaurs weren't the only ones who built this place, parvulus. You remember the Eteno? The new aliens you've heard about? They helped build this place, and mom and dad are here to help them fight some bad guys." Sesh answered. "What kind of bad guys? Like the Hunre or Heglareans from my history books?" "Heh, no, parvulus. These guys aren't so strong. They're just a bit much for these Eteno wimps to take on by themselves!" Sesh joked as he grabbed Renr and set him on his neck. "And one day, Renr, you're gonna grow up and be just like dad. But you're gonna be evn better. I'd bet you'd be a HIRIOT, like Colonel Etah!" Sesh said. "Really? You think I could be like Colonel Etah?" Renr asked. "Of course, Renr! But only if you work at it hard enough. But you gott accept the fact I'm always gonna be one step higher than you!" Renr joked more as he walked down to join his family at the hallway leading to the living quarters. "Nuh-uh!" "Yeah-huh!" "Nuh-uh!" "Yeah-huh!" And so the siblings joked and played. Much as he didn't like being across the Galaxy from the KMF, Sesh thought he just might learn to like it here. Acclimatizing The family almost got lost in the massive station at least twice, having to consult terminals constantly to insure they were heading in the right direction. Finally, they arrived at their assigned dorm. This would serve as the family's home during their stay on the station. That is, while they're not on post off-station. Dad would be away often as a fighter pilot squadron leader, usually on board a carrier. Mom would be home more often, but she'll also get assigned to a cruiser or destroyer, sometimes a carrier, for days, mayber weeks on end. When they're both gone, Sesh will be responsible for the family, a duty he took in stride (since his parents would count it for his Rite of Service). They dorm was smaller than a typical Sauren dorm; Eteno architecture, no doubt. Though it was more compact, it still had most of the luxuries offered for on-station personel (since they would usually be youths). An extranet computer, a television, fully stocked kitchen, a television, a master bedroom with a kng sized bed, and a bedroom, which were quickly assigned to the kids, with Renr getting his own room when Mom and Dad are gone (which would be most of the time). They had a day to settle in and relax before Mom and Dad got their first assignments. Sesh finished unpacking first; He had all his clothes sorted the way he wanted: In a suitcase waiting to be unpacked into his master bedroom's armoire. He didn't want to disrespect his parents by denying them a night of feeling at home before shipping out for off-station deployment. "Mom, Dad, I'm going out to check out. Y'know, acclimatize." "Sure, Sesh, just be back for dinner." His father replied. Heading out of the cramped dorm, Sesh emerged into the halls. He found a nearby terminal that displayed a map of the station. He zoomed into his deck and checked out the tenent assignments. No one he recognized. He saw that the deck had a gym with a Dominatus set up, and figured he'd go to see if any one was playing and needed another pair of wings. Arriving at the gym, Sesh indeed saw it was a rather small playing field, but it was still a full playing field; Probably a low priority during construction. He was right, however; There were already a few wryms in the gym looking for a few more players. "Hey, you! What's your name?" Asked one of the male wryms in offensive team gear. "Sesh Konr. Looking for another player?" "Yeah, need one more offensive. See those Eteno?" The male pointed towards a group of Eteno soldiers with Dominatus gear on (tailored for their height). "Yeah. They playing?" "Playing against us. They figured they could teach us how it's done. You play before?" Said the male, as they started walking towards the other Karnasaur players. "A few times. Helps when you're spaceborne." "Spaceborne, huh? Sorry, forgot my etiquette: Wrex Urd'not. Colonyborne. Come from a planet in the Core Zone." "I heard the Core Zone worlds were mostly wastlelands and deserts with a few snowballs." "I came from a primordial world; The most complex thing there was moss on the shore. Research colony. Then my folks got assigned to the 181st as scientific experts." "What was your colony researching?" "The planet's developing biosphere was off the charts; Way too much moss far from the shore. We were trying to figure out why." "Any progress?" "Some; We found that the soil was incredibly rich in nitrogen fixing bacteria, making the ground paradise for the simple flora." "Wait, if the biosphere was primordial, all the fauna, especially prokaryotes like bacteria, should be in the water, not the soil." "That's what we were trying to figure out; We found why the moss was so developed only to ask why the bacteria was so developed. We got reassigned the day we found the bacteria, so that's all I know." "Hey! You guys here for small talk or Dominatus?" Shouted a female wrym. Looking at this wrym, Sesh was instantly taken aback by her beauty. Her eyes were stormy grey like his, her face was smooth, her body had subtle curves, and her tight-fitting Dominatus gear only complimented her physical attraction. "Well, I was hoping for a nice chat, but seeing those short yellow guys over there and a capable team of real Dominatus players makes me feel like it'll be all the more interesting. Especially given a beautiful, intellectual, capable girl such as yourself on my team. It'll be all the better to win." Sesh replied. He thought he'd give the 'bold and funny' approach a try. "Hmph. Well, we'll see if you can do just as well. What's your name?" The female sounded impressed. "Sesh, Sesh Konr. Spaceborne." "Spaceborne, huh? I'm Rene Thes, Homeborne. You play offense good?" "The best." "Aha, well... we'll see. Recreation After getting outfitted in Dominatus gear, Sesh took his prefered weapons: An assault rifle and a revolver. He used the rifle for clearing out open spaces and suppressing fire while the revolver was for close range and emergencies. Meeting up with the rest of the offensive team, he had to identify everyone but Wrex and Rene by their team numbers. Wrex, 01, had a shotgun and a submachine gun, an exotic combo that complimented the close-range nightmare that is a commando. The submachine gun was for suppressing fire to get to one side of the field; Then, the shotgun would turn any kind of cover in to a partial coffin. Rene, 02, used a subtler, more skilled approach; Using a nonlethal ensis and a pistol, she would have to rely on speed and agility to get up close and personal. Number 03 had an assault rifle and twin grenades. The Karnasaur numbered 04 had a large minigun and a shotgun; Undoubtedly, he would be laying down ost of the suppressive fire. 05 had a sniper file and a submachine gun; He'd be the only offensive member staying behind the lines to provide sniper fire. Sesh himself was 06. When both Commanders signified the teams were ready, a countdown began from 10. Sesh and his team got there orders; The HUDs in their nice helmets identified where they were going for the initial wave outward. From there, barring further orders, they had carte blanche. Sesh readied his weapon; He planned on some suppressing fire on his way out. When the buzzer signifying the match start rang, the doors to their team base opened, and they poured out onto the small field. Sesh started firing over to the Eteno side, but found their short stature to be detrimental to his aim. Adapting, he moved to his assigned position; A small wall near the center of the Karnasaur side. Rene moved far up, almost to the central platform, and started waiting for her first victim. Wrex followed suit; His close range style demanded he get as close to the enemy as possible, as early as possible. The Eteno started calling out ot each other in Luuchstunkski, so that the Karnasaurs couldn't understand them. Sesh stole this trick and started speaking Sauren. "04, lay suppressing fire down on the enemy flank! 01, 02, move up, move up! They'll have their backs to you while 04's shredding them!" 04 roared back understanding in a deep-ish voice and started moving up the Eteno's right flank. As he started firing, Wrex and Rene moved forward, past the central platform, leaving it unclaimed still. Sesh didn't care, he wanted to neutralize the initial wave of Eteno offensives. His HUD showed that two Eteno were removed from action, and a third was severely wounded. 04 took bad hits, but he pulled out in time to make it back to Sauren turf. Moving to give Wrex and Rene the supprt they lost from 04, Sesh unfolded his wings and flew over to the Eteno entrenchment. Landing on top of a pillar, he started showering the Eteno opposition with rubber bullets, causing several of them to be removed from play and the rest to start falling back into their own turf. Sesh thought they could retrieve the enemy flag now, but he thought it would be unwise with the central platform unclaimed. Signaling for 03 to move up and claim the platform, Sesh motioned for Wrex and Kene to take point while he and 04 covered them. For good measure, the Commander rose extra cover at the central platform, cover that was positioned favorably enough for 05 to move up and snipe closer to he action. Staying silent as the night, the forward team moved into Eteno territory. Reaching the outside of the Eteno base, the Eteno defensive team started scrambled out and started moving all over the place, launching wayward rounds everywhere. The high mobility of the defense team initially made it difficult for the point team to take them down, unil 04 had an idea. "Suppresive fire! Restrict their mobility!" He shouted out. Taking the suggestion, Sesh and 04 started firing out so that the Eteno defense team was caught in a cone-shape between lines of fire. This allowed the two CQCs to move in and take them out without worrying about another coming up from somewhere and hitting them. Unfortunately, the last few offensives came out from the base and started firing at Sesh and 04 to neutralize the containing fire cone. Sesh got away without a scratch, but 04 was removed from play. Suddenly, a grenade flew by, taking out half the remaining Eteno and the last half suddenly just dropped out of play. 03 and 05 picked up the slack. Moving into the Eteno base, Sesh took the flag and started to head back to the central platform. But then, something flashed on his screen. 03 was next to him, and 05 just dropped from play. The central platform was contested. Hurrying back, Sesh dropped the flag and ordered 03 to hurl his last grenade at the plat form while he unsling his assault rifle. After the grenade went off, Sesh moved in and found a single Eteno, who took a shot at Sesh with his pistol. Barely in play, Sesh took out his revolver and hit the yellow alien in the face with a rubber round. But not before he claimed the platform. Suddenly, the entire Eteno team was back in play. Ordering 03 and Wrex to support Rene as she ran back with the flag as he recaptured the platform, Sesh got down to business praying to the Angel of Fortune that she'd make it. This day, Angel Fortuna asnwered his prayer with a smile. Rene made it back, flag in hand, as rubber round covered the platform. Wrex and 03 went down in seconds, but it was worth it. The flag was already more than half way to the Sauren base, and Sesh had the central platform secured, using the extra cover to its full extent. Just as the first few rounds started hitting, the buzzer signifying the game's end went off. "Next time you guys want to teach us how to play the game of our people, make sure you can actually play it yourself." Sesh taunted, jokingly, in a friendly manner. Friendirlots "Karn, Sesh! You really are good at what you do!" Wrex exclaimed. The team was in the locker room, panting and exhausted from the game. Sesh learned everyone's name now; 04 was called Jugorn Hals'ren, 03 was named Dern Kona, and 05 was Luras Ka'teek. "Thanks, Wrex. I've played alot." Sesh responded. "Really shows, karn! Hey, what are you up to tonight?" Wrex asked. "Family time. Mom and Dad shipping out tomorrow." Sesh answered. "Same here. Hey, Wrex, maybe you, me, and Sesh could hang out tomorrow night?" Rene offered. "I'm up for it. But not my place, too many hatchlings." Sesh confessed. "We can go to my place. Got it all to myself." Wrex responded. "Only wrym?" Jugorn asked. "Nah, karn, older sibling's are off with the 434th Armored Legion, garrison duty on a Frontier World." Wrex explained "Since when do Frontier Worlds have garrisons?" Sesh asked. "Not for the population, it's 'cause of a reported Hashaeon den in the system." Wrex answered. "Hashaeons? Deus be with your elder siblings." Rene said. "Thanks. They can handle themselves. We still talk, every so often, when we can." Wrex continued. "What do you talk about?" Sesh inquired, out of curiosity. "Er... a... certain... holovision show..." Wrex stumbled. "What show?" Rene pried. "Er... My... My Little Kentirlot..." Wrex mumbled out. "NO WAY! YOU'RE A FRIENDIRLOT??" Rene exclaimed in sheer excitement. "I can't believe it! Two ''other friendirlots??" Sesh almost shrieked. "Seriously?! You two are frienditlots??" Wrex also exlaimed in joy. At this point, they were the only ones in the locker room. Everyone else mimbled farewells. "Well, I know what ''we're doing at my place tomorrow night!" Wrex said. "New episode out tomorrow around the usual time! Can't wait!" Rene said. "Same here!" Sesh concured. Now fully un-geared and back in casual clothing, the trio of friends exited the locked room. Sesh felt a little funny, though; Rene seemed... oddly attractive. Disregarding this for the moment, Sesh said his farewells and headed home. Entertainment (?) Category:Incomplete stories Category:Tandem stories Category:Karnasaur stories Category:Articles by User:Nra 'Vadumee Category:Stories